Insight of the Week: The Cost-Conscious Shopper

When it comes to where adults in the Republic of Ireland undertake their regular main grocery shopping, latest data from Kantar Media’s TGI study of consumer behaviour reveals that the most important considerations are value for money – cited as especially important by 41% of adults – and low price, rated particularly important by 34%.

Those who rate both value and low price as very important account for 17% of adults and this represents a key target for brands to appeal to in order to influence their supermarket behaviour and, by extension, the behaviour of all those consumers who cite either of these factors as important.

TGI data reveals that they are significantly more likely than the average adult to be reluctant to be environmentally friendly. For example, they are 26% more likely to believe that it is only worth doing environmentally friendly things if they save you money.

This is also a group particularly likely to harbour corporate ambitions. They are 24% more likely to wish to get to the very top in their career and 23% more likely to wish to set up their own business one day.

In terms of reaching this target effectively, they are particularly receptive to a range of media messaging. TGI data reveals that they are 44% more likely to feel that pop up ads help them find interesting things on the internet, 31% more likely to not mind receiving text messages from commercial organisations and 30% more likely to enjoy watching ads that feature their favourite celebrities.

For many of these cost-conscious shoppers, their behaviour is dictated more by necessity than choice. They are 40% less likely than the average adult to have a family income of €75,000 or more. Yet at the same time they are particularly likely to have to stretch what income they do have to feed other mouths. They are 34% more likely to be in the ‘Playschool Parents’ TGI Lifestage group (live with son/daughter and youngest child is aged 0-4) and 25% more likely to be in the ‘Primary School Parents’ group (live with son/daughter and youngest child is aged 5-9).